View full sizeDoug Beghtel/The OregonianGonzalo Segares received a yellow card for his tackle on Timbers forward Kenny Cooper.

The Portland Timbers scored four goals in their win against Chicago Thursday night, but some observers contend that the team should have been credited with five goals in the game.

Portland forward Kenny Cooper scored what would have been the Timbers' first goal of the game with a header off a corner kick from Jack Jewsbury in the 10th minute. But the assistant referee on the sideline invoked a rarely used rule to nullify the goal.

The referee determined that Jewsbury's kick initially sent the ball sailing outside the end line before it curved and traveled back – kind of like a right to left putt in golf –into the field of play. Once the entire ball travels beyond the end line – either in the air or on theground – the play is dead and a goal kick awarded.

Cooper's non-goal initially sent the sold-out crowd of 18,627 into a frenzy, until everyone noticed the referee had raised his flag, indicating a violation.

Cooper fires up crowd: Cooper raised the intensity level throughout the stadium when he went nose-to-nose with Chicago defender Gonzalo Segares in the 16th minute.

Segares' rough tackle sent Cooper sprawling to the ground and the normally mild-mannered Cooper didn't appreciate the rough play, which drew a yellow card on Segares. The 6-foot-3 forward immediately jumped up and positioned himself right in the face of the 5-11 Segares and started talking.

Cooper chalked the incident up to the emotions of the game.

"Anytime I'm on the field I want to bring a hunger, a desire, energy and intensity into my game," Cooper said. "I want to win out there. Sometimes, it's get intense out there on the field." Cooper displayed a side of his personality that hasn't surfaced very often. It's not as if Cooper has run around the field untouched in previous games. He has beenfouled 14 times, tied for the league lead with Dallas' David Ferreira, and rarely has shown any emotion. Why did Segares' foul elicit such an response?

"I honestly don't know," Cooper said.

First slabs of wood: Two more Portland players basked in the world of wood for the first time Thursday night.

Jorge Perlaza scored two goals and Rodney Wallace one, earning them the highly coveted honor – at least among the Portland players – of being awarded a slab of wood. The Timbers have a tradition of awarding a slab of wood for each player who scores a goal in a game.

"It's an indescribable feeling," Perlaza said through an interpreter. "I just need to take advantage of every opportunity I get."

Perlaza said he has played in front of boisterous crowds in his native Colombia before, but he said the atmosphere in the Timbers' home opener is one he won't soon forget.

"I've experienced several nights like this, but nothing like this being the first game at home for a new team," he said.

Wilkinson sent off?: Portland Timbers technical director Gavin Wilkinson found himself involved in an incident minutes before halftime during the team's 4-2 win against Chicago Thursday night.

Wilkinson was involved in a play in which he appeared to avoid returning the ball to a Chicago player after the ball was kicked out of bounds. The back-and-forthdrew the attention of the referee, who appeared to order Wilkinson off the field.

Wilkinson said he was on the field to take part in the team's halftime ceremony honoringformer players Jimmy Conway and John Bain. Wilkinson said he was not tossed from the game, but regrets getting involved in actual play.

"I thought a ball boy was coming to get the ball and when he didn't, I was put in an awkward situation," Wilkinson said. "I never should have picked up the ball. I won't do it again."

National attention: ESPN2's broadcast of Thursday night's game cast Portland in a very positive light. Renovated Jeld-Wen Field looked good on TV and the announcers raved about Portland, the stadium and, especially, the Timbers Army.

But the biggest attention-getter of all was the singing of the national anthem by the Timbers Army (as well as other fans who joined in). The performance was widely discussed – and mostly praised -- on web sites and cable networks Friday. One who didn't like it: Bob Ryan of ESPN's Around the Horn, who called it a "civic joke." The comment led members of the Timbers Army to call Ryan many things on Twitter.